Thursday, December 3, 2009

I have walked in that dark cloud where it seems all your life is just heaviness. Strife, struggle, confusion and unrest crams the mind of so many, in this world.

I know what it is to worry and fear from sun up to sun down and then all through the night. I know what it is to suffer in pain and not have the means to see a doctor, not have the time to rest. I know what it is to feel like nobody cares, that you are all alone in this world. I know what it is that causes you to feel unworthy to look the cashier, at the grocery store, squarely in the eyes.

I was on the run from an abusive ex-husband, having been robbed of everything valuable, stripped of all possibility to grasp my own world in order to survive. I know how that feels. I know how it feels to be grateful for the $11 in your pocket, so that you too can go to the grocery store. I know what it is to fear the unknown.

I know what would drive a young mother to thoughts of suicide just for relief from the fatigue due to the struggle. I know how it feels to know you don't have money for Christmas presents for your little one.

I know the implosion one feels in their brain, when the gas has run out, the old car might not start again and fancy suits drive past you while you push the old car up a hill, with your baby inside.

It doesn't feel good. It's tiring and wearing on the body. It makes an old woman out of you. I know what it is to forget how to have fun.

I've been there. Are you hurting? Are you down? Are you crying every night? Do you pray and pray and pray and it seems your words hit the ceiling and go no farther?

Do you want a friend? Do you want help? Would you accept it? Are you ready for it? Do you want to see green in the trees again? Do you want to sleep again? Do you want to be able to appreciate the crisp morning air again? Do you want peaceful thoughts in your head, again? You want the rope? You want off the merry-go-round?

I know the answer sounds so very simple but the fact is, it is the answer. It will put you on your feet again, make you feel human again, make you feel possibility again, make you dream of tomorrow again. You ready?

Speak His name. You know His name, just speak it. Give up. Give up. He's waiting for you to give up.

There's something very important you need to know. Just because you know about Jesus, doesn't mean you've stepped into His light. You see, it's a two way street. Accept Jesus into your heart but also remember to give yourself to Him. Sell out. It sure doesn't hurt.

Once you've given up and spilled it all out before Him, the Holy Spirit comes immediately to cleanse, cloak and to comfort. This is a real thing. I mean real as in, you will feel it, you will know it. It happens immediately. You will sleep again, like a baby in mothers arms.

Then the next morning, after you've had some rest, here's what you do. You take those concerns, those bills, those needs and you lay them out on the floor. Seriously, lay that gas bill on the floor. Lay out notes, listing your immediate needs, right there on the floor. Then point to them and tell the Father, "There is it. I can't fix this. You can. Fix it, Father. I need Your help". And then you walk away from those pieces of paper, laying out there before the Lord where He can acknowledge them.

From this point on, you do what you can and don't ask another thing from yourself. You are not the God, He is.

Five years from now, you won't be able to remember how those needs were met, you will just remember that somehow they were tended to. That's the point, it wasn't any of your business and so you don't remember.

Break before the Lord. Don't go whining to Him about your situation, look to Him for a solution. Recognize that you may not know the perfect answer. Rely on Him for that.

You will begin a whole new chapter in your life and some day, you will be sharing that experience with others, just like me.

We know we are approaching a time of persecution and we know we are running out of time.

Regardless of what the future holds, remember to hold on to the one true thing in this existence-Jesus.

We may stumble and fall, but we continue to come to Him. We are frail but He is mighty. We get lost but He finds us. He will not forsake you.

We have come into the time, I waited so many years to see. It's not only exciting, it keeps me on the constant watch - waiting for the next shoe to drop.

I keep a watch on my own family, to make sure they don't stray too far. I remind them and pray for them.

This is the time for the church. It will soon be over. If I were 13, I'd be worried about being cheated out of life but I'm not, I'm almost 64 and tired of this world. I'm ready and waiting. I'm anxious to see it all play out and I know I will.

Blessed is this last generation. They will see those things spoken of, so many thousands of years ago.

God's love for His creation runs so deep and is so engrained in our very existence, that to deny His existence is foolish. Our very drives and yearnings all stem from our reflection of the Creator Himself.

Love and marriage is a screaming testimony, as it was designed to reflect our relationship with the Lord. Spiritually speaking, Him being the husband and His church lifting Him up and the union producing fruit.

Through the Holy Spirit, we beget yet another generation of the church. By the human union, called marriage, we beget yet another generation of mortals.

Ever consider where emotions come from? Does it come from a mass of flesh we call a brain? How could that be? Does it come from our heart? Impossible. The heart just pumps blood.

Do you realize that when you feel emotion, it centers in a place within our body that has no nerve center nor any organ? It's called the solar plexis, just behind your breast bone. What is there, that could possibly produce emotion? This is where we have the sensation of fear, of anger, of love, of heart break.

When refering to yourself, you point right at the solar plexis. Why is that? Why not your face?

The answer is because not only does your own spirit reside there, but also when the Holy Spirit comes to abide in you, He joins you there. He's not in your intestine, not in your stomach, not in your leg or ear and certainly not in your head. There's only one place on the human body that can ache, the way it does, simply from hearing the words, "I don't love you any more".

This is also the very place where you receive what we call, the unction to pray. This is where you sense it all.

So does this mean the Holy Spirit actually does enter your being and joins your own spirit to abide in union? Yes. Why would you doubt that? Jesus Himself said it was to happen. Isn't that what a groom does, gives you the best of Himself?

Truly you are a part of the bride of Christ and truly He adores you and truly His Spirit is already with you. Always. We call Him King of Kings and we are all headed for the Marriage of Marriages.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Do you fear it? Have you lost a loved one? Find yourself blaming God and then feeling ashamed? Dealing with such intense feelings, you think you will never get over? Wishing for just one more day? Sorry for things you never said?

Would you like someone to throw you a rope? I'd like to share something with you.

I am 60 now but I will never quite get over a sickness, I suffered in my late 20's. The fact is, the devil tried once again, to kill me only this time very slowly and with great agony.

Without boring you with all the reasons why, I will try to explain this weird thing that overcame me. Five doctors could not find the reasons.

When I first became ill, it was sudden and violent. I was sicker than I had ever experienced. The odd thing was that after vomiting, I only felt worse and worse.

It's truly hard to explain the sensations, as it was something akin to nothing I can relate to. It was as if every cell in my body was nauseated, constantly, day in and day out for 8 weeks straight with no let up.

When it could no longer be diagnosed as the flu, I had already begun treating the symptoms, out of desperation.

Phenagrin is a suppository drug given to children as part of prep for surgery. On top of taking a stomach tranquilizer by day, in order to eat and have it stay down, I was also taking valium just to help me to tolerate the constant sensations. At night, there was no possible way to fall asleep without drugging myself with phenagrin, in order to overcome the constant waves of nausea.

The worst part was that I was a young mother with a 10 month old baby and no help. My mornings turned into a routine of crawling on my hands and knees to the nursery, to get my baby, change her diaper and get her breakfast. I crawled so as not to disturb my body any more than necessary because as soon as I stood, there was a countdown. I had 30 minutes to get what I needed done, before the shocking wave of overwhelming nausea hit me and brought me to my face on the floor.

At night, I prepared for the nightmare of trying to get to sleep, by drugging myself. Then I would lie in the bed with the radio blarring to blot out the siren in my head, as the drug intensified the sensations for about 40 minutes before finally subsiding and I slipped into a drugged sleep. As the sensations intensified, I would bite on the blanket with lock jaw tension and whine away the minutes, as tears poured down the side of my face.

Night after night, this went on until I wanted to die. I had thoughts like, "if my mother truly loved me, she would bring me a loaded gun". But then I would remember my baby. Who would care for her? Who would protect her? I was alone, as I had had to divorce her future molester. I had to live to protect her.

It was during these times, while I had no strength to voice even a prayer, my mind would reach out to the Lord and beg because I knew that I knew that I was 1/4" away from total relief. I had thoughts like, "Father! Why do You leave me here in this feeble rotting flesh?"

It was at that time, I became acutely aware of my spirit, as it was my spirit that wanted out. Nothing seemed more proper than for me to leave and save myself this agony. It wasn't the mortal mind thinking these things, it was my spirit.

From that experience I know my spirit and, at that time, my spirit knew where to find freedom.

I'm telling you this because I want you to know that when a loved one goes home to be with the Lord, it is very real. It is a joyous time, for that loved one.

I can tell you that I would prefer to go through a shocking accident than through a horrible sickness. That's for sure. I should know, the devil has been trying to kill me most of my life and sometimes came really close to it. That's a whole other story, as each time the result was a magnificent miracle or I wouldn't be here to tell you these things.

You see, at that point of no return, when one faces their own death in an accident, something very special happens. It's like you are taken into a dream world, where nothing seems real and at the same time, you are very much aware that the end has come.
Silly thoughts go through your mind like, "Is this really happening?" or "How far is this going to go?" or even, "Well.....so this is how it's going to happen."

Maybe it's true that some people's lives pass before their eyes but I sure never have had those thoughts. At the moment of the impending fatal blow, I've always been right there in the moment, focused on something my mind just couldn't wrap around.

I imagine those who actually pass on, thinking momentarily, "Uh...."

God so perfectly designed our bodies, that at the instant of mortal wound, the body goes directly into shock. Ask any doctor or nurse. They will tell you they lose more accident patients, from shock than from wounds. It's as though the body immediately prepares and puts a person into a dream state. While in shock, you don't feel the pain. You are aware there is pain but it's nothing like what you expected. As a matter of fact, about half the time, the person feels like superman.

Does this help you to face a horrible death in the family? It should. The answer is no. They didn't suffer. God takes care of us, even during that time.

It's hard to imagine life when a loved one is suddenly taken but I asure you, it does go on. Be at peace. I promise you that loved one hasn't looked back, not even for a second. Things are too exciting where they are.

Remember, we can't see the big picture. If we could, we might spend a whole lot less time crying.

Why would the Lord take a close loved one and leave a mate or other family members behind? Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with your own growth?

It's just like when a toddler is left in the nursery. The child has no idea the mother is coming back. It is pure insecurity and the unknown that drives the child into a frenzy.

We go through the same reactions when our loved one is taken and we are left. It's the unknown. The fact is you really will be together again but until you are there with them, you are left with the unknown. Once there, you will understand how very small this lifetime was, how very brief in comparison to what the big picture is.

It's time now to look inside yourself and rediscover. The wound will heal and along with it, you will find your inner strength. It's at this time, you will also discover a stronger relationship with the Lord, more one on one.

During this period of your own life, between the time of those you relied on and the time you yourself discover the wonders the Lord has waiting for you, there is much to discover about yourself and about your faith. Like the toddler stepping out on his own and experiencing all he can do.

Grow. Learn. Discover. Your loved one will wait. This is a blessed time for you. Painful, yes but also blessed.

I recently read a comment on another blog, asking 'What exactly is salvation?'

I was taken aback, realizing there are those who don't understand what that's all about.

I decided to try to explain, using terms an unbeliever could understand. What is salvation, why do we need it, what's it all about?

While it may be true, you are a good person and do your best to do what is right and not hurt others, it's also true you were born in sin.

Born in sin? Yes. Not that you are a sinful person, the second you're born. You see, the fact is, once sin was introduced into this world, the world itself became a sinful nature. For that reason, you are born into sin (world).

You didn't do anything wrong. That's not what it's all about. But just living in this world, which happens to BE sin, you take on a sinful nature. It shows up in way, you'd never imagine was a symptom but we don't know any different.

As you grew, you were taught 'right from wrong'. What is right from wrong? In who's opinion? And why are we drilled with it, from diaper age on up? Who says?

The fact is, if your parents were non-believers, what they were teaching you were the rules of getting along with society. Even they don't know, that the birth of those rules comes straight out of the Bible. They would deny that. They would say it's social graces. Either way, you were taught right from wrong.

Just as you were taught how to do things in a right way, you also hear about Jesus. Just knowing Jesus, is yet another lesson in right from wrong.

Until you've learned the 'right from wrong' of Jesus, you are what is called 'lost'.

Jesus is the way and the light. Through Him, we reach God. Without God, we are lost. So how do we become found? By accepting Jesus. That is our salvation from a lost state.

If Jesus is the Way (to God) and the Only Way, then we can only come to God through Him and God is the only path to heaven.

Put simply,you won't go to heaven in a lost state. You must be saved from that lost state. This does not mean you will suddenly be perfect. You never will. None of us will. That's why we need Jesus.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The message of the day is 'prepare'. Just as the wise brides maids, we need to keep oil in our lamps.

One reason, of course, is our great hope of the 'Rapture', the other is keeping ourselves girded up for persecution.

It's coming. In fact, it's already here, as I'm sure you already know. Everything around me is telling me to be prepared.

So how do we stay prepared? Reading and prayer. Natch. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And it's so true. Stay well fed.

Pray each day for the strength to get through another day. Pray that you will be prepared, girded up, sitting on the rock, when the onslaught comes. Persecution is headed for all of us.

First the 10 commandments, then the nativity sets, then any mention of Christmas, then the crosses. Now will they come for our language? Will it become illegal to say 'Jesus' out loud? Will the churches pull down all mention of Christ or the Temple or the Mount of Olives, to keep from having their building burned down?

Will we be forced to regress, returning to the beginnings of the church? Hiding in caves? Holding secret meetings?

Who knows how far it will go. This we do know - we were warned and told to be prepared. So prepare, we must.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

I learned the value of forgiveness, many years ago. That doesn't mean I'm accomplished in it.

New trials pop up every day, tempting one to harbor contempt and some of them are really hard to overcome. Nobody on this earth, is perfect. Not by a long shot.

We run up against people who seem to think themselves perfect, looking down their noses at anyone they view as 'under' them. I'd have to say that when this attitude is directed at you, it becomes the hardest temptation to overcome.

Don't do as I do, do as I say? :) I guarantee, if there's anyone who understands, it's me.

Remember who you are and remember who is important. Your Lord's opinion of you counts a whole lot more than that of your neighbor. Hang in there and remember your reward has nothing to do with this world.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Moving in one accord. Have you ever watched a field of tall grass or wheat, in the wind? It's mesmerizing, to watch what almost looks like waves of the ocean. As the wind blows, so goes the graceful, gentle stems as they all sway together, in the same direction.

This is what 'one accord' means. A church moving in one accord, is a thing of beauty. From God's point of view, very much like watching that field.

When one or two cause discourse, it would be like watching a clump of that grass, suddenly working against the wind and causing entanglement. That's what a grumbling, complaining, gossip does for a church.

If only every member would actually read and follow the Word, and all that it says about the believer. How lovely that would be.

Friday, September 4, 2009

To talk about the present day condition of the church, I suppose I ought to draw the distinction between the body of Christ, and the church congregations.

The body of Christ is doing just fine. :) It is, however, getting harder and harder to find them in church congregations.

The true believer is keen to little 'off tracks' around them and sometimes it gets alarming. Remember, you can read descriptions of today's churches in Revelations. Things really haven't changed that much.

There is, however, a new stage before us. The one world church. Many of us see it happening right before our eyes.

Read what Paul said about these things. It truly is, up to us to speak up. If they won't listen, we are to leave. It's that cut and dried.

You see, Christians get things confused. They confuse spreading the gospel and letting their light shine, with begging and striving with un-believers. Check out those things Jesus told us to do. Striving isn't in the orders, at all.

It has always been a hard struggle. Remember what Jesus said about putting your own family before Him? That was a physical demonstration of the spiritual struggle, we experience today. How can we just turn a blind eye? Well, we can't but we also cannot win over people with arguments.

Back to the original discussion. I find it so easy to get side tracked.

In the last few years, my daughter, grandson and I have moved out of the state and then back home again. The condition of the church, has become a huge discussion point in our family. We've witnessed it, as strangers in a new town. Then moving back home again, brought yet another new light on the subject, as we discovered this strange phenomena is everywhere.

The 'watered down' and the 'rock concert on Sunday morning'. Where did all that come from? My latest and loudest experience, in a visit to a new church, even had a fog machine on 'the stage?'

Since when did the podium become a rock band stage? The effort to reach out to the youth, has brought the church down to the level of that youth, instead of standing like a rock. When did the church stop letting it's light shine, and replaced it with strob lights and fog machines? Where did the foundation go?

It's true, we don't have to be stick-in-the-muds but somewhere along the line, some churches not only crossed over the line, they completely became absorbed into the social scene, that one can't tell the difference.

Did God call us His peculiar people? What's so peculiar about a rock band? Were we not told that we are on this world but not in it? Well, it seems to me a lot of folks, calling themselves Christian are pretty much 'in it'.

You know that old saying, " If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck"? From my point of view, what looks like a church on the outside, looks like and sounds like a rock concert on the inside. I take that back, most of these places don't even look like a church on the outside.

And what happened to church names linking it to Christ? Words like 'Christian', 'Temple', and 'Church'. 'Church on the Rock' was already getting away from the main theme but to Christians, had the familiar symbolism. 'Faith Community' does not tell me it's a church of Jesus Christ. "Faith" doesn't label the building, it could be faith in anything.

I've heard a rumor that Calvary Chapel wants to get rid of the 'Calvary' part. Any body else noticing these little baby steps, leading us away from anything resembling Christ? Do you suppose these baby steps are leading up to one giant step towards the melting pot called 'the one world church'? Sneaky. Sneaky like the snake!

Remember the sly words of satan, "Surely you won't die". You see, satan relied on the fact that Eve never experienced death and took it to mean a physical thing. In actuality, God was talking about a spiritual death. Just a slight slip of the hand and he had Eve on the wrong thought pattern.

The devil isn't dumb, folks. He's smarter than you and I, for sure. He knows everything God knows. Think about that. He sure knows how to make something seem so innocent, while in actuality, it's death.

Is your church forgetting Jesus? Is your church not talking about salvation? Not talking about salvation from what? Speak up and if you don't get a possitive reaction, get the **** out of there. Don't let your children get watered down with the crowd. You're always safe with the foundation of the church, and Jesus being the head.

It's time to go back and read through the NT. It's time to compare what we see today, with those things Paul talked about. It's time for the sword.

If you knew me, you might sometimes wonder if I'm Christian at all. Why? Because I'm a rough old coot and see things straight forward. On top of that, I'm out spoken to the point of hurting feelings. When it comes to Jesus, I'll step on your toes any day. If it has to be that way, it's Him and me against the world.

What's more, I don't push my faith on people, I don't insist they see it my way. If I'm talking to someone who flatly disagrees with me, I flatly tell them, "When misery takes over your life, look me up".

Be strong, folks. Be like Jesus. Study His every move and see things the way He did. Remember, He turned over some pretty heavy tables and went on a rage, but He saved it for last.

I'll tell you a little story, that happened to me when I was around 30 years old. I had just conquered a sickness in my body, had finally discovered the secret. The very next day, came my temptation in the form of a man. I guarantee, I was talking to satan embodied.

My young daughter came running into the house, telling me there was a man outside that wanted to talk to me. I thought that was peculiar because why didn't he knock on the door instead of sending a child to get me. I went out and discovered a man, standing outside the fence.

He told me he had found his wife in bed with his best friend. Not only was there a divorce but his children all left him. He was on his way to kill himself. He asked if I could help. Of course, I said 'yes'.

I invited him to come into the yard and sit at the picnic table, then sent my daughter to get some cokes. The man unloaded his sad story and I told him about Jesus. On several occassions, I tried to lead him in prayer but it just wasn't happening. Finally, he DID IT ! He said, " I know how you can help me." I said, "How?" He said, "Go to bed with me". I said, "You asked for my help. I've given you the answer. I've done all the Lord requires of me and more. Now go kill yourself".

My daughter and I, went back into the house and by the time I had walked in the door and turned to see the man, there was no sign of him. To this day, I don't believe there was a man.

See? It's not hard. :)

You, as part of the body of Christ, know the truth. It's right there in your hands. Stick to it and don't be swayed, not even by a wayward pastor. He's the pastor, not the embodiment of Jesus.

And if you can't find a true church, start one yourself, in your own living room. Nobody ever said you had to attend a huge, expensive building, to be a church body. Jesus said it only takes 2.

Friday, August 14, 2009

This is an excerpt from a recent email I sent. I thought the message was good enough to share.

People are confused about this idea of judging. If you read it again, you'll see where Jesus was saying 'judge not lest ye be judged by the same measure'. I'm not a prostitute and could easily stand up to judgement by that measure, so I'll judge it all I want. He wasn't saying not to judge, He was saying you'd be a fool to judge something, if you yourself are also guilty of the same sin.

When it comes to protecting your home and children, you most definitely stand up and judge. You don't let evil into your home, just because you think it's bad to judge it.

Even Jesus judged the churches. You read it in Rev. He judged them to chastise them. True believers are to be accountable one to another. That helps us keep on the straight and narrow.

We have a commission, read in the end of Matthew. A commission is a commandment and the commander is Jesus. As an army of Jesus, we are to carry out His orders, as good soldiers. We can't carry out His orders without first knowing what they are and then standing on the narrow line, judging whether we are still on that line and what threats there are.

We must remember to shake the dust off our feet. Jesus never demanded people to believe Him. He left that up to the Holy Spirit and since Jesus is our model to follow, we do the same.

We are to let our light shine. We cannot force people to see it. Therein, lies the commission to the church. The church is to let it's light shine. How can the light shine, if it is buried in a mountain of flash and noise?

We, as a church, must keep the coming threats in mind, and remain steadfast. These church bodies, making loud noise, to attract the unbeliever, is chasing away the believer. That's not what the church is all about. We are not to seek popularity,we are to uphold one another and be there for the edification of the believer.

Just as in Paul, James and the others, we have evangelists that travel and teach and help to keep the church bodies in line. As a church body, the church is not expected to become evangelists. The church is the edification of the believer. That's it's job!

So many, have confused the lines, trying to be all things to all people and that means it's no longer the church. It's just become a popular local club.

Yes, the One World Church is already forming. We as Christians, must draw the line. The line in the sand, is so easy to step over. So easy to obscure the line and make it hard to distinguish it. We have to keep our discernment sharp, our eyes open, our hands open but our minds must be guarded.

The attack on the church, is coming from outside as well as inside. If we had stuck strictly to the teachings, those things would have been cleaned out of the church, as fast as it showed up but....instead of standing fast, the kind hearted church has shown leniency toward blasphemy, giving it one more chance to become a part of the church. In other words, when someone in the church tried to bring in false doctrine, even when reported to the pastor, the pastor would advise and think all is well. Instead, it was up to the church heads to rid the church of this evil. They did not. They forgot they were dealing with evil spirits and not that person's face.

When I see a church built like a massive castle, I wonder. Remember that God's design for His Temple was big for sure but it was also a simple design. It was not to flatter the world but to house God.

When the Temple was opened to all mankind, it was then housed in us. We too, are not designed to flatter the world, God in us, is a hidden treasure. Those who would have Him, are to seek Him. If not, they don't belong to Him.

The hardest thing for Christians, is turning others away. They forget to understand all that Jesus taught us. All. Not just the flowery parts.

True love does not let the child play with the snake. The child is admonished, punished until he understands not to play with the snake. For his own good. We don't stand by and hope the child will understand, before it's too late, for fear of hurting his feelings.

Why does the Army, punish traitors? Is it not for the sake of the army? And more so, for the country? Should we let one misbehaving soldier cut the throats of millions of people, for his own selfish good? That's the kind of love we have from Jesus.

He gave us all the same chance. Just as He said, many times, concerning the parables, those who have ears will hear, meaning there are those who will never hear.

Christians, have the hardest time understanding there are few of us and that most of mankind will go down the tubes, by their own decision. We cannot stop them. We can only spread the Word, let our light shine, be an example and let the Holy Spirit do HIS job. None of us, have the shoulders to carry such a burden. Some are lost. Plain and simple.

Have you ever thought why the great flood? You remember the sons of god mating with the daughters of man? Doesn't that imply that something super natural happened on this earth? Something that infiltrated the blood line of man? Wouldn't that be a good reason to wipe it all out and try again?

And later in recorded history, these giants showed up again. There was something unnatural about them-their size and demeanor was different. It was said, these giants killed just to kill and consumed humans. They were that kind of 'feared'.

If this unnatural thing happened again and infiltrated mankind again, doesn't it make sense we have those descendants among us today? And if we acknowledge this, doesn't it also make sense there are humans who are not of God and never will be?

We accept these words, because they are mentioned in the Bible: principalities, angels of darkness, evil spirits and demons. And yet we somehow dismiss these things, as though they are fable. If we can acknowledge the power of these things, and their reality, maybe then we can see this world in the right light. Maybe then we can realize they may be sitting right next to us in church.

If not for these unseen things, we wouldn't need discernment. But we do need discernment and should rely on it heavily and trust it.

God calls us His 'peculiar people'. That's not just the Jews. We will always be seen as peculiar. That's fine with me. :)

I know what you mean when you yearn for a Holy BATH!!!!! Those seem few and far between. I wonder if it's not because of what the world thinks about it. That would be sad.

I happen to know the Assembly of God does believe in this. Must they always wait for the next evangelist? Are the evangelists still making the rounds???????

Remember this is the blessed generation. We got to see it forming, while knowing what it is. That's really something. It's heart breaking and exciting, at the same time. But remember what the first believers lived through and count it all blessings. They saw the beginning. We see the end. And just think, that ties us to them.

The church age is drawing to a close. What comes next is far beyond our expectations. And for me, this is so exciting because I get to go to the millennium with stories of what I witnessed. We know the history of the church, right up to the end. We will be the story tellers, for those born under Jesus' rule.

Think about it. Children born into a perfect world, who will still be alive when the devil is loosed for a short time. Won't it be up to us to teach these children, in the face of no evil on this world? Won't it be hard to convince them of what temptation is like, what it feels like, what it looks like and what it really means? It will be like trying to teach a 3 year old about the sins of this world. How will they conceive of it? It will be up to us to convince those children to stand strong, when the final test comes.

So just for our own sakes, we better learn to stand on the straight and narrow, but we better be strong now, so that we will have the backbone to teach a whole new generation. Not too many think that far into the future. I sure do.

Just think. This will be like teaching a child that his loving pet snake, will one day turn on him and kill him. If the snake had never done such a thing, how would you convince that child to watch for the signs? A child who has never experienced a thorn, never been sick or wounded, never heard a harsh word, had never been threatened by anything.

We will be telling them stories about a world they've never seen and would have a hard time believing us. Some of them will be 1000 years old, when the temptation is unleashed on them, one last time.

So, whatever you do today, let it be steadfast in the Word, regardless of what the world is doing.

You remember that song about the day of rapture? The one describing people still sitting in the church? Cry for those. I'd say the largest left behind congregations will be listening to rock music. Sorry, it just popped out.

Oh, something I just thought of. A Pastor is a shepherd. Hard for him to keep up with his own flock, while tending to his neighbors strays. Strays will, by nature, mingle with the tended flock. They feel safe in numbers. So a pastor should remember what he's all about and what his job is. We have evangelists for the job of recruitment.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Doubting Thomas

It seems to me, that when most folks think about Jesus praying in the garden, the night of His arrest, they envision a Jesus excruciating over His own impending demise.

I had occasion, lately, to experience the very things I believe our Lord was actually concerned with.

Realizing that I, myself, could drop dead at any moment, my thoughts went straight to my children. Our family consists of 3: myself, my grown daughter and a grandson. These two depend on me, not for what I do, but for what I am in their lives. I am the rock of the family. They look to me for guidance and stability. What would this do to them?

I began to realize this is exactly what our Saviour experienced. What do you suppose was going through His mind, as He walked and dined with His friends and followers?

How many ways had He tried to gently prepare them and yet they remained oblivious of what was to come. Even the very eve of this new chapter in God's plan, as Jesus supped with His family, His followers, those who loved Him dearly, He approached the subject, knowing they still didn't quite catch on to what He was trying to tell them.

Jesus knew they would be lost without Him, that they would not understand. He knew they would eventually accept and understand but that interim period just after He breathes His last, they would be like lost children. These were His children.

His heart swelled with empathy for these innocent souls, knowing what they were about to experience. There was no possible way for Him to prepare them, although He had tried.

Just as you would, knowing that tomorrow you will die and your little children know nothing about it. They still play at your feet as though you will be there forever. They still punch each other and tease and whimper and tattle. You tell me. What would be going through your mind? What would you pray for? Would you be sweating blood?

Remember how each disciple reacted? Was Jesus right about them? Did Jesus know them, individually, more than any other?

While the others rushed off to see what Mary reported, the morning of His resurrection, Thomas remained. Why? Was it because Thomas' feelings ran deeper than the others? Was it because he was highly emotional and not wanting any more pain, refused to go look for fear of further disappointment? Had he not stretched himself beyond his capability to contend with the hurt?

Didn't Jesus demonstrate to us, that that was exactly the case? Didn't Jesus express more sympathy toward Thomas? Have you ever wondered why Jesus took the time to call Thomas to Him, and to cause Thomas to touch His nail scarred hands and actually pulled Thomas' hand into His own wounded side? Have you ever wondered about that? Did Jesus take so much time with the others? Was Jesus showing extra sympathy for Thomas' sensitive nature? Did Jesus understand something about Thomas that we today, miss?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The United States is going through a struggle that will only accelerate with time. It's a struggle between good and evil, between God and satan, between the believer and those who desire to demolish christianity.

Not long ago, the Lord brought to me a revelation that makes me smile about the whole scenario. They can burn the cross if they like but that won't change the fact that the United States truly is God's country.

I'll explain this revelation and you will find nothing but confirmation from the Bible. My ultimate test is to measure by the Word of God.

There's a reason why the United States is never mentioned in prophecy, never mentioned in the Bible and yet we know we are a christian nation. The fact is, viewing history, we are non-existant.

What are we? United Statesans? We call ourselves Americans but the fact is we are Spanish, Irish, Norwegians, Chinese, Japanese, Laotians,English, French. The United States is the representative of every nation, the world over.

God doesn't see us as Americans, He sees us as our roots, in a new nation. From the beginning this country has been known as the 'New World'. Why is that? You can't tell me that even when this land was first being discovered, that those people thought this was a new world and yet that's what it was called.

What the Lord revealed to me, is that this country, the United States, is something like a display. All the woes of history have been played out on this land, sort of like a stage play. We have, from the beginning, stood firm for those very values God desires. In every way, we have fought and won over slavery of every form. We detest slavery and so does God.

We fought for our own freedom and then turned on those among us who would enslave, fighting again for freedom. We fight for freedom the world over.

People ask why we poke our noses into other countries, as though we have any right to force freedom on them. The fact is, we are doing God's will, like it or not.

This is God's country, His design, His plan. Those who come to join us, have joined much more than they have imagined. In their minds, this is the land of opportunity, the land of interprise and the freedom to own business and land. That's pretty amazing when you consider the whole world in comparison to the U.S. There must be something different about this country, wouldn't you think? What is that something? Idealism?

Those among us who battle against the believer, are standing on the land God preserved for His people for these latter centuries, for His own purpose. It kind of reminds me of the teenager battling his parents, while standing in their home and eating their food. The home will still be there after the teenager has run off. He battles against the very things that give him an avenue for life. What can he do but make noise and disrupt harmony? He will never change the rules and never take over ownership.

Free WillA revelation that came in a flash, while driving down a long highway through Wyoming, on a horribly windy day. One of those 'out of the blue'. It didn't take long before I was thanking the Lord over and over.

Hopefully I can explain it so that you can understand what He showed me.

In all that we do, as a nation, we revolve around God's perfect plan and don't even realize it. Our very laws back up God's will whether the heathen accepts it or not. They can scream and holler about 'Christians' in their faces, and do all they desire to wipe us out and all the while using the very tools used to carry out God's will.

Check this out. Every law is founded in the protection of free will. Example: What's wrong with rape? It's the fact, not of a sexual act, but of forcing someones will on another. Of course, in the case of rape, its the most vile way of doing it. Well, except for murder. But that's the basic point. "Forced against ones will". Right?

The same for murder. Dying isn't against the law but dying by someone else's hands is. We then die 'against our will' and certainly against God's will.

Without realizing it, that's what the law does. It protects our will.

If you have a job, what you're doing is selling pieces of your life, in exchange for something else you want. There's only so many hours in a lifetime, so every time you give an hour away, you are actually giving away an hour out of your life that you can never have back. It's gone. Sold.
So when you sell an hour, that money represents a piece of your life that you sold of your own 'free will'. So then when someone steals that money, what are they stealing? Actually, its your free will!!! That's why it feels so violating. They've taken the very object that you traded a piece of your life for, and did so with free will. You didn't 'free will' it to be stolen!

When someone kidnaps, what they are doing is holding someone 'against their will'. It's the free will that has been violated.

What is the enemy of free will? It's slavery. In slavery, there is someone lording it over others. Enslaving their free will. Causing them to submit to someone else's will. Totally perverse to God's design.

Eve, first caused Adam to be enslaved, by enslaving herself to the devil's will. She submitted. And she was half of Adam. It's no wonder Adam then submitted, as it was already a done thing. Just like that, they were slaves.

Think about it. What do drugs do to a person? It enslaves them. What does bitterness do? Enslaves. What does hatred do? Porn sickness? Lust? All these things cause the person to submit their will and that means slavery.

It makes sense to me (not that this was a part of this revelation) that this is the reason for war in heaven. Who was the blessed one? It was Lucifer and Lucifer thought free will was all HIS. So imagine what went on when it became clear that God was planning mankind and that mankind was to be given free will.

Gods perfect plan is free will (freedom). Only in freedom does love truly exist. Submitting against ones will is not love.

So it makes perfect sense that is the reason Adam could not remain all one unit, self procreating. The subject is free will. In order to create a being with free will, procreation also had to be in free will begetting others with free will and that can only be done when the ovum and the seed CHOSE one another. Of their own free will. So in free will, the two parts come together to create more free will. So Adam had to be separated into two. Free will cannot be exercised unless there is a counterpart.

When Adam submitted, it put a halt to God's plans. God then had to put into motion a whole new plan to again set man free. In the meantime, God's own people decided they wanted a king. After so many generations, the people had no knowledge of freedom and that's why God allowed a king.

Today, we are just as hard headed as those folks. We too need a king. We too have no understanding of free will. That's why we call Jesus, King of Kings. Only through Him, do we acquire freedom. That's why Jesus said He came to set us free.

All these years I've talked about love without realizing that the whole reason for our existance is 'freedom' and that without it, love does not exist. The whole subject, the whole reason for all our history and our being here, is free will. And the whole battle is over that very thing: freedom vs. slavery.

Remember the butterfly story? Let it go and if it comes back, then it belongs to you. That's what God is all about.

It's perfectly understandable, after receiving this revelation, that God still and will always, love Lucifer. After all, Lucifer was the first to excercise God's perfect plan, free will. The Bible never says that God will destroy satan, or kill him. It only tells us that satan will be cast into the bottomless pit. While its true that God will always love Lucifer, he sinned against God.

Why are we called the 'New World'? Ever think about that? So explorers found a new land and explored it. How does that make it a whole new world? There's only ONE world so how was it that this continent became known as the new world? And we are STILL known as the new world.

I now know why it is that America is never mentioned in the Bible. Because its the new world!! You see, representatives from every corner of the world, live right here in the U.S. Making it truly the new world. The fact is, America doesn't fit into the last day picture at all. But our roots do.

It's like this. Suppose you have a massive subject, you need to teach to others. The simplest way to explain it all would be to turn it into a stage play. Using actors to represent the diversity. That's what we are. We are the stage play of the world. All the problems and diverse peoples and struggles have all, and are, played out starting with a lesson in what God sees as the number one sin : slavery. When God thinks slavery, He's thinking about all things that enslave. We acted it out by actually using people and having a war. Who won out? And I ask you, what does the U.S. stand for? Freedom!

In all the world, in all that we do and strive for, all of history revolves around freedom vs. slavery.

When God's people had lost all knowledge of freedom and could not survive without enslaving themselves, God stepped in and enslaved them Himself. It was Him or the enemy and He sure wouldn't lead His chosen people into that kind of distruction. So He stood in, as the slave master, until Jesus could come into fruition. Thus the reason for 10 commandments, for laws of living, for rituals and sacrificing. All to give the people what they needed to survive. Much like a battered wife. They didn't know how to survive without it.

Finally, came Jesus. Jesus said He came to fulfill the law. Now I understand what He meant. The law was given in lue of freedom because the people didn't understand. Jesus had to become human because only mankind was ever given free will and God would have to put free will into action, in order to overcome what was submitted by Adam. By going to the cross of His own 'free will', Jesus set us free. Again, the subject is freedom.

For me, this answers all questions.
How can a God of love let such horrible things happen? Ans: God is perfection and His plan is free will.

The goal is to obtain the perfection of free will. And everything that crosses that plan is sin.

I don't know about you but this revelation, in itself, has given me freedom. And understanding. And peace. I understand.
Judy

There's Nothing Wrong With My Sister
a testimonial about healing
It has been 30 years since the day I returned to my first love. After having run amuck for several years, the Lord literally pulled the rug out from under me. There was no place to go but up.
For the next 3 years,with Jesus as my tutor, I was taken through a series of healings. Each healing brought a new understanding.
After a series of healings and huge growth spurts, in the Lord, He began to teach me how to walk in faith. He presented me with numerous practise sessions, each one more difficult or seemingly difficult.
Then came the day my faith was stretched beyond what I had thought possible. My mother called and asked me to pray for my sister, as she was on the way to the hospital.
My sister lived so far away from the city that when she was found to have a very bad case of pneumonia, and realizing how difficult it would be to get hold of a doctor over the weekend, they checked her into the hospital for safe keeping.
At the time, I had no idea this was something serious but I had promised to pray and so I did. The Lord had taught me to focus on a statement. With little true concern for my sisters safety, I decided to pick something generic and announced to the Lord that I would stand on the statement, "There's nothing wrong with my sister".
Whenever my thoughts wandered to my sister, I simply stated, "There's nothing wrong with my sister" and went about my business.
That following Monday, my sister was still in the hospital so I decided it was time to see what was going on. You see, I never fathomed that there was a serious reason for her being there. So it was pneumonia, so what? Take anitbiotics and knock it in the head. No big deal.
What I found, when I got to her room, most definitely had an affect on me, as my sister was looking pale and sickly. She told me that the doctor suspected she had a tumor in her lung.
I thought to myself, "Oh, yeah, right! A tumor. I doubt that", but I repeated my faith walk, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", anyway. To this point, I was still of a mind that everybody was being dramatic and I was attempting this faith walk out of practise. After all, that's what I'd been doing up to now and it really didn't seem to be a big deal.
The next day, I arrived at the hospital to find my sister in a wheelchair, out in the day room. Her best friend was kneeling down next to her and holding her hand. Again, my sympathy was about as flat as a dime and I couldn't help thinking "oh, dramatic!". I again voiced, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", and asked my sister, "Do you truly have a tumor?" To my surprise, she said, "Yes".
Where would I get such an idea that my sister was on the same plain as myself? Was there something wrong with me? I later realized that just because the Lord was teaching me, it didn't mean that the whole world was right there with me, learning the same things. I was on my own, with this thing. It was me and the Lord doing this faith walk thing. It began to sink in.
Wednesday morning, I went to see my sister and got the shock of my life. She looked worse than before and told me that the X-rays confirmed a huge mass in her lung. I felt the blood drain out of my head and almost lost it, right there but remembered something very important. Up to this time, I had been obeying the Lord and standing on a faith statement that I didn't even realize was important. I couldn't let up now. That's what the Lord had taught me.
Thursday, the whole family met in the waiting room while my sister went to surgery. As I sat there, what I call the 'fearbies', began to creep into my being. That growing panic, realization and fear that begins to climb right up your gut, reaching toward your heart, ready to squeeze the life out of you. "This can't be happening."
I focused on what the Lord had taught and said over and over, "There's nothing wrong with my sister". Now I had to hang on to it, it was that or fall apart.
The doctor came to us and sat down to explain what they had found and what they had removed. According to him, out of the 3 lobes, they had to take the top and middle, leaving only the tiny bottom tip. I said, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", but my mind was exploding. Inside was "No! No! This can't be happening!" but I knew, no matter what I saw, no matter what I felt, I had to stand on that statement and not let go.
We were allowed to go, one by one, into the recovery room to see her. When it came my turn, I walked up to her bed and held my eyes straight out in front, until I could muster the courage to look down. As I finally allowed my eyes to behold my baby sister, my heart felt like it was going to crush itself. Even with all that pain killer in her, my little sister let out a groa
n and I witnessed her struggling to breathe.
What felt like my last breath, seeped out of my mouth as I said, "There's nothing wrong with my sister". I had to hold on. I couldn't drop it now. I focused on Jesus, intently.
A week after she was released from the hospital, I was elected to go pick her up and take her in for her post-op checkup. We arrived at the multi-storied medical center, next to the hospital. She was to get an X-ray downstairs then hand carry it up to her doctor.
In the doctor's office, I waited outside while she went in for her checkup. A few minutes later, I looked up to see my baby sister, walking toward me, with a huge beaming smile on her face. She announced, "73%!". I asked, "73% what?" and she answered, "My lung has grown to 73% of its original size".
"What? What? Do lungs grow? Wait, do lungs re-grow?"
Another week and we had to return again for a checkup. She again hand carried a new X-ray, up to her doctor. This time she came back beaming even brighter while she announced, "97%".
"97%? Grown? Your lung has grown? More?!"
This is how I learned what it is the Lord wants of us. This is how I learned what it feels like to walk on water. I joked with my sister, through tears, saying "See? There's nothing wrong with my sister. You just don't have any baffles any more?"

I read the stories about Jesus and come out with a whole other picture from what is taught to us from childhood.

I'm sure we all see something different in Jesus, but do we ever truly see the epitomy of manhood? He was that, you know, considered a man among men.

He had to have been muscular, as he helped Joseph in wood working. They didn't have electric saws back then. He must have been a magnificent specimen. That's not what we see portrayed in art or even movies.

Jesus was quite the character, too. Imagine His gentle, authoritive voice as He spoke a curse upon a tree.

Remember the story of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers? These tables were hardly light weights.

How much time had Jesus invested in His disciples, when a man brought his son whom the disciples had already tried to heal and yet the boy was still stricken with epilepsy. Have you ever noticed, in the scriptures, what Jesus' first reaction was? It sure wasn't an immediate healing for the boy because the boy had cast himself on the ground, writhing while Jesus turned His attention to His disciples.

Evidently Jesus was repeating something He had already taught them and then saying "....how long shall I tarry with you...". Jesus had only a certain amount of time to share knowledge and to teach His disciples, so every set back was actually wasting precious time. He was aggrivated with them. Not because they had done wrong but because Jesus was running out of time.

I see a commander. I see it worthy to be His soldier on many plains.

Before Jesus departed, He issued the great commission. These were orders from our commander, Him seeming much more the authoritive figure, in my mind.

Would it change the way you act and feel, if you had a more appropriate picture of your Lord? Instead of worrying about how and when you would follow out His orders, might you become the obedient soldier?

Soldiers carry out orders, don't argue with orders and don't doubt what they are expected to do. I call this 'training'.

While it is true that we push toward the mark, study His word and praise Him, it is also true that we are commissioned into His army and are to train to be good soldiers. Obedience is what He expects from us, doing without question, standing firm and hearing only One voice.

Standing barefoot on the dew covered grass, still wearing her knee length, pale blue nightgown, she stood staring out across the garden.

Thoughts flooded her mind and then stopped dead as she realized that for the first time in months, she could hear the birds. She froze where she stood suddenly aware of the crisp morning air, the vivid green of the trees, the cool grass under her feet.

A long moment passed, as she just absorbed every sensation her body was capable of.

The thoughts having quieted now gave room for memory. "What is it?" she thought. "What's missing?"

Her life a shambles, fear having guided her every move for what seemed an eternity, thoughts of life had long sense faded away into the darkened fog of worry.

Now suddenly it was as if some super reality vitamin was charging her senses, causing her to ponder how she had gotten here and where everything had gone so wrong.

"What's missing?" Where had her peace gone? "Wait! That's it. Peace? Wait, wait! What's missing?" Her mind seemed to have become whispers of almost thoughts, dashing to and fro and she stood very still, letting her mind search.

"Lord!", she shouted out loud. "Lord, where are You?"
"Lord, it's gone! Where is it? Help!"

She had lost her grip somewhere along the way, lost a peace that now was a distant memory and suddenly she realized she wanted it back. Now it all came into focus and she wanted it back.

She threw her head back, facing skyward and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Father! Help me!"

Something invisible gripped her stomach and then began squeezing its way up to her throat. Like a volcano, a surge of something indescribable burst up through her being and out her mouth as a wail of exquisite agony, rumbled through her. Tears came to her eyes and she fell on her face, not caring that she was getting her pretty nightgown all dirty.

Never had she felt so broken hearted, almost too painful to endure. The tears over the past few years, spilled out onto the ground, as she cried like a baby. An hour passed, as she spent herself with tears. She just let it happen, she let it all go.

Then, as though a warm blanket covered her from head to toe, her tears all spent, she felt the loving tenderness she had so missed, being lavished on her by the Holy Spirit.

She lie there soaking it all up, not wanting to face the day, just lie there in His arms.

When, at last, she stood again the sun was well up. For the first time in many months, she could again experience the warmth on her face. Peace was once again right where it belonged - in her heart and soul.

Now suddenly the world slowed down, her mind was at peace and she remembered who she was. Life was ok, again.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Anybody happen to know, really, what sin means? What most people think of as sin, is actually the symptoms - not actual sin.

It's like when you have a cold. How do you know you have a cold? You have a headache, your eyes water, your nose runs and you feel like death warmed over. But is the headache the cold? Is your runny nose a cold? No, those are the symptoms.

So what is sin? Lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, idol worship, murder. No one of these items are the actual definition of sin. They are all symptoms, just like the runny nose. So if lying isn't a definition of sin and neither is idol worship, then what is the definition?

Sin is- get this - enslavement. Anything that enslaves, is sin. Ok, now stop, before you start calling me crazy. Think about this.

When Jesus was talking about His being here at all, do you remember what He said? "I come to set you free." What do you suppose He was talking about?

In sin, we are enslaved and must be set free. God hates slavery of any sort. You can see His attitude about it, by the story of Moses.

A few years ago, the Lord showed me this reality and it so set my mind free. Truly, the U.S. was God's will and His hearts desire, has been demonstrated in our history. Slavery existed and was abolished. Enslavement, simply by prejudice has been stomped on. The whole attitude of the U.S. citizens is that of freedom and there is a hatred of anything that enslaves. That's exactly how God feels about it.

One of the main reasons for the creation of man, was the expression of freedom that could be had, no other way. In all of heaven, freedom cannot be accomplished or won. One must experience and understand slavery, before one can experience and fully understand freedom.

Now let's go to those individual symptoms. Any one, will do. Thievery. What happens to you, when you steal? First, let's not forget the law of restitution. It is a universal law, set into motion, at the foundation of this world, just like the law of gravity. It's just as real and just as ever lasting. It is the author of 'what goes around, comes around'.

You cannot get away from the law of restitution, I don't care what anybody says. The backlash, is not God's punishment, it is the law we set upon ourselves. We pulled the trigger.

No matter how the outcome plays out, there is enslavement involved. Any 'sin' enslaves the 'sinner'. Tell a lie, and see what happens. Am I right?

Does covetousness, add to your life or does it wind up enslaving you? How about lust? Can you think of any sin symptom that does not, eventually if not immediately, enslave the sinner?

So you see, it's not the sin that God hates, it's what that act brings upon His children. Slavery. He didn't create us for slavery, He created us for freedom. So for us to fall into the pitfalls of sin, enslaving ourselves, is to pervert God's intent for mankind.

It's so foolish, for a non-believer, refusing to meet Jesus, saying 'I'll have to give up my happiness', to run from the only thing that can set him free. While he may see his drinking and carousing as fun, drinking kills the liver-gives you a hangover-pretty much wastes time and that carousing may just wind up paying back with some horrible disease. How is that freedom?

You can go into the Old Testament, and read God's instructions to His people and see, just as clear as day, His instructions to remain free. Sickness enslaves. Sin is enslavement. Fear is enslavement. Anything and everything that is not of God, enslaves.

Something for you to ponder. Don't steal because it will hurt YOU. Don't hate because it will hurt YOU. Don't lie because it will hurt YOU. Don't covet because it will hurt YOU. Don't worship the wrong god because it will hurt YOU. Every 'Do Not', is simply keeping you from stepping into a snare and keeping you from harm. That's all. That's IT. Plain and simple.

God is not a dictator, He is a Father. Don't pet the Black Widow. Don't play with that Rattle snake. Stay away from the cesspool. Don't eat that Poison Ivy. Is that dictatorship?

So you say, "How come God can tell us not to drink booze, when He created everything and it wouldn't be here, if not for Him". Whiskey is great on wounds. It not only sterilizes, it numbs. It's also pretty great when you're in pain. Drink the stuff. But to drink it, just to get a buzz on, is to set yourself up for others to take advantage of you, and most likely a horrible headache in the morning.

Drugs? God gave them to us. What do you think Solomon's garden, was all about. The difference, of course, was that Solomon was the pharmacist. The drugs from plants and flowers, had medicinal purposes. It's when man abuses those drugs, we get into trouble.

Glutony of any kind, kills man. Drugs can kill you, booze can kill you, food can kill you. It all depends on how you use it. In a sinful way (enslavement) or as God intented, medicinal and nutrition.

So it all boils down to this - what will harm you, what will enslave you. Stay away from those things. Pretty simple and pretty easy to swallow. Don't you think?

Crack the old knuckles and limber up the fingers, it's time to write. :)

It seems to me, the subject of forgiveness needs a lot of in depth thought, right now. Well, not just right now but I think I sense a lot of unforgiveness out there, in the world and I feel the need to talk about it.

Who is the first person you need to forgive? I mean, before you can even think about forgiving others, who needs it first. You!

Mind you, not only am I fully aware that when I point a finger at you, there are 4 fingers pointing at myself -in this writing, I truly AM preaching both ways. You think I don't need it? Haha....nobody in the world, needs it more than me so come along for the ride.

If you're harboring bitterness against another, it's like a billboard pointing a finger away from you and at that other person. That's what takes over your mind - what they did to me.

But! And think about this. Why are you really mad? You know in your heart that if you hadn't allowed it, it wouldn't have happened and so you lose sleep. You toss and turn, some nights, fighting back at that enemy. That enemy doesn't even know it's bothering you, so who are you hurting? You! And why? Because you are mad at yourself.

"If only...this and if only...that". Every one of those 'if only's' is followed by 'I'.... You see, you know the truth you just don't admit it. You want to blame an enemy. Well, the enemy is you.

"If only I hadn't listened to him", "If only I'd followed my head instead of my heart", "If only I hadn't been so impatient", "If only I had married 'that other dream boat' ", "If only I'd never married at all", "If only I'd saved that money instead of blowing in all the wrong places".....and on and on and on. "I hate him" followed by "if only I....".

So who do you need to forgive? That 'I' person. So, ok, you made a mistake. You're not alone, you know. We all do it. Some of us will never let you know but we have our nights of tossing and turning.

First, you need to forgive yourself. Honestly and finally and forever, say to yourself, "I did it. It's over. Now let's go on from here." You need to look at yourself as nothing more than a human being with frailties. Perfectly capable of making huge mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and never do it again. That's called 'repentance'.

Unbelievers, think that word 'repentance' is some sort of ritualistic back whipping punishment, we bring on ourselves. It's not. Repentance is realizing where you went wrong, asking yourself and God to forgive you, then picking up the pieces and looking at tomorrow instead of yesterday. Tomorrow is there, it's coming, now what will you do with it? Will you waste yet another day, living in yesterday?

Flush it. Toss it. Dump it off on the lap of Jesus. He knows how to handle it, you don't.

Now look at yourself, through the eyes of God. What do you see? Another god? Or perhaps you rightly see, a dumb kid who needs the protection and guidance of his/her Father.

Talking to those who have children, can you look at your child and see all his future failures, every possible ugly thing about them? Or do you see a bright future and you cherish that child above all things? The latter, is how God sees His own children. They are His creation.

It's true, God filters His viewpoint with the blood of Jesus. Thank God for that, else He wouldn't be able to see us at all, for the covering of filth and sin. So you can thank Jesus for opening that door, for letting us stand upright and face God without fear. He bought you that freedom but He didn't pay the price, for you to turn your back on that freedom.

Jesus paid the price, so that you could have God back, as your Father and so that God could have YOU back, as His child. Rest in that peace.

Now back to YOU. If Jesus can forgive you for anything, how can you be so presumptuous as to NOT forgive you. Who do you think you are?

As long as you dwell on your mistakes, you can't see God and He can't get through to you because He gave you free will and He won't cross it. You have to willfully cloak yourself in your mistakes, in order to block God out of your life. So why hang onto it? It's in your way. Throw it at Jesus!

If you can't hear the birds singing and you can't see the green of the trees and the beauty in the clouds and if you can't see God's glory in the faces around you, then you are enslaved in your own personal prison, built by your own hands. That's no place to be.

Once you've accomplished forgiveness of yourself, then and only then, are you capable of forgiving others.

Now for the forgiving other's part. Until you do, that other person is ruling your life. You want that? They have a hold on you that nobody else can get rid of. You can get rid of it, in the snap of your fingers. Gone. Vanished. No power over you.

All you have to do is forgive. I didn't say forget. You go around forgetting the sins, others have committed against you and your up for another shot. You're not supposed to become stupid. You're supposed to learn. At the same time, forgive them.

You won't hold it against them any more. You also won't ever give them the opportunity to do it again. Your trust is in God, not man.

If you have someone in your life who constantly brings up the past mistakes, it's time to either straighten them out, or put some distance between you. That other person is constantly putting that weight right back on you, after you've managed to dump it.

If it's a situation where you can't put distance between you then it's time for a serious discussion. What you're going to say is, "I've forgiven myself. Who are you to keep repeating history and trying to burden me down with an old sin, that no longer exists? If I have to put that filth back on me, every time you open your mouth, I will have to find a way to distance myself because putting it back on me, is not God's will." They, in fact, are playing the devil's advocate.

My own daughter has carried ill will for ButterNut Ice cream, for years. Why? Because the past enemy always ate it. Just recently she bought some and said, "Praise God, I'm doing this in defiance. I'm free to make my own choices." I said, "Praise God, when the day comes you don't think about it at all". You see, she was openly admitting, the bitterness was still on her.

When the day comes that she can buy and eat Butternut ice cream and not have a single thought about that past bitterness, then and only then, will she be free.

When you dispose of bitterness, you throw it away. It's gone and has no more affect on you. THAT is freedom.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I've been a bad girl, in that I have not been attending this blog, the way I should and I apologize.

When weeks go by and it seems noone is interested, one tends to get lax, forgetting that occasional visitor who may be needing help. My deepest apologies and I promise to stay on top of things, from now on.